Hand held display devices such as smart phones and tablets are widely used for a variety of purposes. With WiFi, 3G, 4G connections and the like, such devices are increasingly used with applications which allow for wireless connection to information sources, including not only broad sources such as the World Wide Web, but also private networks as well.
For example, such display devices have been used by security personnel as they move within a building, with the devices wirelessly receiving remote data such as alarms as well as pictures and/or video from security cameras placed around the area being secured. It should be appreciated that viewing security camera video as a guard moves around a building can not only allow the guard to be able to see potential problems no matter where he is in the building, but it can also allow him to look ahead into areas that he is about to enter to be warned of any potential danger or situation so that he can be prepared and not surprised when entering that area.
It should be appreciated that it is desirable for security personnel to be able to see different camera views as quickly as possible. For example, in some instances it may be desirable to see as many views as possible for a general overview of activity in a building. In other instances, it may be desirable to see just a few views relating to a specific area of concern at that moment. In addition, depending on their eyesight, different security personnel may generally prefer different display area sizes to feel comfortable that they can see what they need to see. Given that the display devices' portability generally restricts the size of the display which the security personnel must look at to receive information, different security personnel may require that different numbers of display areas be provided simultaneously to ensure that the size of each area is appropriate for the person using the device at that time.
While display devices have heretofore allowed security personnel to control the display so that a desired number (and/or size) of display areas will be provided, such switching has required stepping through menu systems. Such menu systems are typically not intuitive, and also can be time consuming and can require the strict attention of the device's user (to make sure the right menu item(s) are found and that they are the one selected [e.g., by touching, as required with typical touch screen displays]), all of which can be a serious problem when, for example, security personnel are under stress and hurried when reacting to a potentially dangerous situation. Further, such menu systems can even occupy area on the display, thereby causing the display areas for camera feeds to be fit into smaller spaces.
The disclosure herein is directed toward solving one or more of the above problems.